My first Walgreens run

I did it...I took the next step in my couponing journey. I have moved on from just hitting the two grocery stores in my neighborhood and am planning specific trips based on the deals I can get. Today I did my first Walgreens run and am happy with what I came out with. I am sure I could have done better but as I advised all of you in my last post, I did what I could where I am at right now and that is good enough for me!

Originally I had one small transaction planned but after some help from this post at The Krazy Coupon Lady and some time spent with my Walgreens ad this morning, I decided to be brave and plan out two transactions. Why two? The second one took advantage of all the register rewards I earned in the first transaction!

So let me break it all down for you:
Transaction #1 -

- 1 Gillette Body Wash and 2 Old Spice Body Wash on sale 3/$10. I had a B1G1 coupon for the Old Spice and a $2.00 off coupon on the Gillette making the total for all 3 = $4.67 (plus it printed a $3 Register Rewards)
- 1 Dove Men+Care Deodorant on sale $3.99. I had a $1.00 off coupon making it = $2.99 (this also printed $3 Register Rewards)
- Gillete ProGlide Fusion Razor on sale for $9.89 (at my store the sticker price still said $10.99 but it rang up on sale so watch for that at your store). I had a $4.00 off coupon making it = $5.89 (this printed  $5 Register Rewards)

Total = $15.63. I saved $15.90 AND got back $11 in Register Rewards*
*For those of you new to Walgreens Register Rewards are earned through special deals. They print out like manufacturers coupons to be used on a future purchase. If you go here you can read more on this and how they can be used. I will say that even after reading the policy, I had to try it first to understand. I thought they printed in single $1 coupons and that I had to have one item per coupon. While you do have to have one item per coupon, they print out in the amount they say they will. So in my first transaction I got two $3.00 coupons and one $5.00. I could have planned my second transaction differently had I known this before but hey, live and learn, right?

Okay, hopefully I haven't totally confused you with the Register Rewards talk. Let's move on to the next transaction:
Transaction #2 -

 - All Detergent and Snuggle Fabric Softener were B1G1 Free. The detergent cost $6.99 and I had a $1.00 off coupon. The fabric softener was $4.59 and I had a $0.75 off coupon for that. The fabric softener ended up being free (but the coupon for it is still applied) so the total for the two was = $5.24.
- The tuna was $0.99 each with a Walgreens coupon (from the ad) so I paid = $2.97
- Mars and Dove candies are on sale for $.039 so I got 3 for = $1.17
- Royal Gelatin was 5/$1.00 with a Walgreens coupon (from the ad) so I paid = $1.00.

This is where all those Register Rewards came in handy. Now I was trying to use filler items to attach to the Register Rewards thinking I was going to have 11 separate coupons to attach them to, this wasn't the case so some of the stuff was unnecessary. It was still a good deal nonetheless:
Total=$3.33. I saved $24.43 on this transaction (WOOHOO! I think this is my biggest savings to date:)

At the end of it all I spent $18.96 and saved $40.33 and got all of this:

 I am happy with that!

The ultimate Daily Deal list

 Lately I have found myself stumbling upon a new daily deal site almost everyday so I thought I would put them all in one place for those of you who like that kind of thing. Enjoy! I will come back and update as I continue to find more, feel free to leave a comment with any of your favorite sites that aren't listed here.

Groupon - I think most people have heard of Groupon by now as they are incredibly popular and available in most cities. You will see deals on everything from local eateries, to laser hair removal, to museum passes. I have already bought a handful of deals from this site and continued to be pleased.

Mamapedia -  Very similar to Groupon. They actually don't have my city on this site so I just choose National and they feed me all the deals that are available regardless of location.

Gaggle of Chicks - The deals on this site are on mom-recommended products and NYC services. If you use this link you get a $10 credit just for signing up!

Zulily - I really like this site. This has deals for moms, babies and kids but it isn't just one deal a day it is dozens of sellers with products on sale. Some really cute stuff here!

Living Social -  Another one just like Groupon, ranging from food to local activities. You can put in your zip code and they will update you on deals closest to you. There isn't anything close enough to me to be worthwhile but occasionally they have national deals. You get a $5 credit for signing up using this link.

The Deal Planet - This site offers deals specifically in the Spokane area.

The Deal Pulp (Added 1/31/11) - Daily deal site offering online and national offers. Get a $5 credit for signing up using this link:)

Tippr (added 2/3/11) - Daily deal site offering 50% - 90% off local spas, restaurants, etc. They have a pretty limited city list but you can put in a request for your city. Get a $5 credit for signing up using this link.

Mertado Social Deals (added 2/3/11) - Offering daily deals from the top brands. Sign up through this link and you will earn $10 Mertado Cash after your first purchase

Quite Unique (added 2/16/11) - A daily deal site that features handmade items. How cool!

Totsy (added 3/19/11) -  For moms, babies and children. Brand specific sales at up to 70% off. Get a $15 credit each time a friend sign's up under your referral and makes their first purchase.

The Mini Social (added 3/23/11) - For mom, baby and child. Stylish, high quality clothing and accessories at a discount. Receive a $10 credit for each referral when they make their first purchase.

Rue La La (added 3/25/11) - Everything from kids' shoes to home decor to jewelry at a discount price. Earn a $1 for every friend who signs up (up to $100) and $10 for every friend who makes a purchase.

Bitsy Bug (added 4/5/11) - BitsyBug is a deal site designed just for stylish moms like you. We help you find the best sites and get great deals on the latest styles and trends for your cute little bugs. Why? So they can be even cuter, of course!

To be added to as I find more!!

$10 for $20 Amazon card!!!

Had to share this hot, today only deal with you all. Pay $10 for a $20 Amazon card through Living Social, a site similar to Groupon. Hurry up, this one is going to be really popular!

https://livingsocial.com/deals/21336?ref=conf-jp&rpi=4285432

Wraps and slings and carriers, oh my!

Wanted to share with you all my week in baby shopping.  So this week as I begin to get that "oh my goodness Isaiah is going to be here in 9 weeks" feeling we decided to do something about it (and what better place to start then to shop!). We made a run to Other Mothers that had needed to happen for awhile as we had some stuff to resell and thought we could browse and use the in store credit if we found something good. I was specifically trying to find something to wear baby Isaiah in. I used a Moby wrap with Jordan and really liked it but sold it awhile back when we weren't making any plans for a third baby. So I was thrilled when I came upon an Infantino SlingRider for $15. I had seen them around and one of my friends that recently had a baby was using one so I went ahead and purchased it. I also got him a cute take home outfit and a baby bouncer, which I paid only $21 for by the way:) I was thrilled that we had made some progress as our buying list is pretty short since we have been there done that twice in the last 3 and 1/2 years.

The next day I decided to check online for a manual for the sling so that I made sure I was using it properly only to find out it had been recalled. I was so irked and was trying to decide if I should call Other Mothers when I saw that the company was offering to take back the recalled item (they paid for shipping) and give an item in exchange. So I chose the Wrap & Tie 3 in 1 carrier that was worth $40. SCORE!! Here's what it looks like (they threw in the toy too):

So after being happy that something that originally bummed me out worked out in my favor I decided to continue on with my list. I wasn't planning on getting more than one thing to wear baby in but I was thinking about how much I really liked having the fabric wrap that he could lay down in in the beginning. It is especially great around the house. I came across the HugaMonkey Baby Sling and was pleased by the price and the simplicity of the wrap. Not all complicated like the Moby! Plus free shipping. I checked reviews to make sure it was a well liked product and when doing that stumbled upon a 30% off coupon that made the sling only $20 dollars. Can you say SCORE, again??

Now I am really just down to needing to pick up a monitor, some bottles and some fill in pieces in his wardrobe. I of course had mounds of boy clothes but gave a bunch to a friend in need after Jordan so I need to replenish a little in the baby sizes. Jeremy's parents are buying the bedding and painting him a dresser like the other boys got. We already have the carseat, bassinet, and crib. Starting to feel more ready. Kind of. I am pretty ready things wise but am still preparing myself physically and emotionally for having a newborn in the house and upping the kid count to 3. Hey, if nothing else, it should make for some interesting blogs, right? ;)

Daily Deals

Alright all you deal lovers! Wanted to share a great site I found. I have recently been introduced to woot.com which is a daily deal site that presents 1 item at a deal everyday. I began to wonder if there were other sites like that out there. After a little research I found 1 site that displays all daily deal sites on one page. You can scroll down and see a picture and description of what every site is offering that day as well as how many of those items are left and what you are saving. There are probably over 30 sites displayed and you can access any of them from this one site. The offers range from kids toys to outdoors gear to jewelry. You never know what you will find. As Christmas approaches (yes, I realize it's only early September!) we like to start slowly shopping and finding the best deals so we can get the most for our money. This is something that I can quickly scan over each day to see if there is anything of interest. Hope this helps you all out as well!

www.dodtracker.com/oneaday/